An obituary announces a death and tells the story of a life in a few hundred words: who the person was, who survives them, and when and where people can say goodbye. A printed obituary usually runs 150 to 400 words, because newspapers charge by length. The version on the funeral home's website can be as long as the family likes.
The 13 examples below are original and fictional. They are grouped by length, by tone and by relationship, and each shows its word count so you can match it to the space you have. Borrow the structure and the phrasing. The details have to be yours.
The parts of an obituary
Nearly every example on this page follows the same order. It is a convention, not a rule, but readers rely on it: they look for the name and date at the top and the service times at the bottom.
| Part | What it covers | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| PartAnnouncement | What it coversFull name, age, town, date of death | Sample lineRuth Delaney, 84, of Marietta, Ohio, died June 4. |
| PartLife | What it coversUpbringing, schooling, work, service, marriage | Sample lineShe taught piano for 40 years. |
| PartCharacter | What it coversHabits, sayings, what people will miss | Sample lineShe kept quarters by the door for the ice cream truck. |
| PartFamily | What it coversSurvivors, then those who died before | Sample lineShe is survived by her sons, Ed and Neil. |
| PartServices | What it coversVisitation, funeral or memorial, burial | Sample lineA memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday. |
| PartMemorials | What it coversWhere to give instead of flowers | Sample lineMemorial gifts may go to the public library. |
The first sentence works like the lead of a news story written in the inverted pyramid: the essential facts first, so a reader who stops there still knows who died and when. Everything after it can be trimmed to fit, which is exactly what happens when a long version becomes a short one.
Short obituary examples
Short obituaries run 50 to 150 words. Use one when the newspaper charges by the line, when the full obituary is still being written, or when the family simply wants something brief. Keep the announcement, the immediate family and the service details, and add one personal line if there is room.
Harold J. Brenner, 79, of Duluth, Minnesota, died October 2 at home. A retired machinist and Navy veteran, he is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carol; his sons, Mark and Daniel; and four grandchildren. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Lakeview Funeral Home. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Friday at First Lutheran Church.
Marisol Vega Ortiz, 66, of Tucson, Arizona, died September 18 after a long illness. She taught third grade for 31 years, and former students still stopped her in the grocery store to sing the multiplication songs she wrote for them. Her roses never won a ribbon, which never bothered her.
She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Luis; her daughters, Ana (Ben) Carter and Lucía Ortiz; her brother, Tomás; and three grandchildren. A rosary will be prayed at 6 p.m. Thursday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, with a funeral Mass there at 10 a.m. Friday.
With heavy hearts, we share that our mother, Patricia "Pat" Okafor, died on Sunday, June 7, at 74, with all four of us beside her. She was a nurse for 40 years and the first call any of us made in an emergency. Service details will be posted on the funeral home's website this week. Thank you for the love you have already sent.
Chidi, Grace, Ngozi and Paul
A post like the last one usually goes up first, while the family gathers facts for the full obituary. Point readers to where the service details will appear rather than guessing at times you may have to correct.
Traditional obituary examples
A traditional obituary follows the order in the table and keeps a formal register. It is the version most newspapers print and most funeral homes post, typically 150 to 400 words. Formal does not mean generic: both examples still carry details that belong to one person.
Walter Eugene Haskins, 84, of Ames, Iowa, died Tuesday, March 3, surrounded by his family.
Walt grew up on a farm in Boone County, the youngest of five children of Eugene and Mae Haskins. After high school he served two years in the U.S. Army in West Germany, then came home to marry Joan, whom he had met at a church picnic when they were both 16. Together they farmed corn and soybeans outside Ames for 38 years.
In retirement Walt drove a school bus, served on the township board and the county fair committee, and recorded the date of the first frost every year since 1971 in a notebook by the back door. He could fix almost anything with baling wire and refused to throw away anything that might one day need fixing.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joan; his children, Susan (Mark) Lund of Des Moines, David (Karen) Haskins of Ames and Ellen Haskins of Minneapolis; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and his sister, Ruth Olson. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Carl and Roy; and his sister, Betty.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Hartley Funeral Home in Ames. The funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at Trinity Lutheran Church, with burial in the church cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the county 4-H program, which Walt and Joan led for 20 years.
Daniel Whitaker, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, died unexpectedly on Saturday, April 11.
Danny grew up in Dayton, studied civil engineering and spent his career designing highway bridges for the state. Unprompted, he could tell you when any bridge on the drive to his parents' house was last inspected. He coached his daughters' soccer teams for six seasons, made pancakes in the shape of the letter of the week, and ran two marathons, slowly.
He is survived by his wife, Megan; his daughters, Ava and Nora; his parents, Rafael and Linda; and his sister, Carla (Jim) Boyd.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 17, at Northside Community Church. Friends who wish to help may contribute to a college fund for Ava and Nora; details are on the funeral home's website.
Note what the second example leaves out. "Died unexpectedly" tells readers the death was sudden without naming a cause, which is the family's to share or keep.
Celebratory obituary examples
A celebratory obituary keeps the facts but leads with personality. It suits a person who would have hated a solemn notice, or a family holding a celebration of life instead of a funeral. The tone should sound like the person who died, not like a comedy writer: humor drawn from their habits and sayings, never at their expense or anyone else's.
Bernadette "Bernie" Kowalczyk, 77, of Erie, Pennsylvania, died on July 21, and the dance floor at every family wedding just got a lot quieter.
Bernie worked the front desk at a dental office for 35 years, which she said made her an expert in two things: scheduling and talking to people who could not answer back. She bowled in a Tuesday league until she was 75, never learned to parallel park, and taught every grandchild to play gin rummy so she could beat them without mercy.
She is survived by her husband, Stan, whom she rated the second-best dancer in Erie; her sons, Michael (Tina) and Joseph (Ray); five grandchildren; and her sister, Dolores.
There will be no funeral, by her order. Everyone is invited instead to a celebration of life from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, August 1, at Lakeshore Lanes, where she bowled every Tuesday. Wear something you can dance in.
Our dad, Robert "Bob" Lindqvist, 81, of Spokane, Washington, died on January 9, still convinced the thermostat belonged at 64.
Bob sold insurance for 40 years and believed in it so completely that he insured things the rest of us had never thought about. He fished the same lake every summer from 1968 on and caught, by his own count, thousands of fish, very few of which anyone else saw. He loved our mother, Janet, for 56 years and told her so every morning, usually before coffee.
He is survived by Janet; by us, his children, Erik (Meg) Lindqvist and Kristin (Dave) Hall; by six grandchildren, who inherit his tackle box and his opinions; and by his brother, Gary.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 17, at Grace Lutheran Church. Mom asks that you skip the flowers and take a kid fishing.
Obituary examples for a mother
Children usually write their mother's obituary, and the hard part is choosing. A list of virtues (kind, generous, devoted) tells readers nothing they could not guess. A detail only your family knows does: what she said at the door, what was always in her purse, the drive she made that nobody asked her to make.
Eleanor Whitfield, 81, of Asheville, North Carolina, died peacefully on Sunday, May 17, with her children at her side.
Eleanor grew up in upstate South Carolina, the only daughter of Tom and Peggy, and earned her nursing degree in 1966. She spent 34 years as a labor and delivery nurse, which means a good share of Asheville was, at some point, in her hands. She married Charles Whitfield in 1968.
To her children she was the person who read every report card twice, kept a pharmacy's worth of remedies in a shoebox, and drove four hours to watch a junior varsity game. She sang alto in the church choir for 45 years and grew more tomatoes than any family could eat, then gave them away by the grocery sack. Her rule for any problem was "Eat something first, then decide."
She is survived by her children, Anne (Paul) Mercer, James (Diane) Whitfield and Laura Whitfield; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles, in 2015, and by her brother, Robert.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 23, at First Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the hospice that cared for her in her last weeks.
Linh Nguyen, 69, of Garden Grove, California, died on February 26 after a long illness. She came to the United States in 1980 with two suitcases and a sewing machine, and for 30 years she ran an alterations shop on the same corner. Her children did their homework behind the counter.
She is survived by her husband, Minh; her children, Vy, Thanh and David; and five grandchildren, every one of whom can hem a pair of trousers. Services will be held Saturday, March 7; details are on the funeral home's website.
Obituary examples for a father
A father's obituary tends to slide into a résumé: job, service, lodge, retirement. Keep the facts, then add evidence of what kind of father he was. One scene does more than a row of adjectives.
Raymond "Ray" Doyle, 72, of Worcester, Massachusetts, died on Wednesday, August 12, after a two-year illness, at home, where he wanted to be.
Ray was born in Worcester and never saw a reason to leave. He became a licensed electrician at 22 and wired half the three-deckers on his side of the city. For 30 years he ran a small electrical business with his brother Tom, and he answered calls on Christmas morning if somebody's heat was out.
He was the coach who kept the bench player in the game, the father who drove to every away game in a van that smelled of coffee and wire, and the man who taught all three of his kids to change a tire before they could drive. He made the same chili every Super Bowl Sunday and never wrote down the recipe. His family is still arguing about the secret ingredient.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Maureen; his children, Kevin (Lisa) Doyle, Erin (Matt) Sullivan and Sean Doyle; six grandchildren; and his brother and partner, Tom. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Agnes.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, August 16, at Callahan Funeral Home. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Peter's Church, followed by burial.
Anthony "Tony" Russo, 58, of Tampa, Florida, died suddenly on June 2. Tony carried mail for 27 years and knew every dog on his route by name. He coached youth baseball for a decade and never missed one of his son's games, rain delays included.
He is survived by his wife, Gina; his son, Marco; his mother, Rose; and his sisters, Angela and Teresa. Friends are welcome at a memorial gathering from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Gulfside Funeral Home.
Obituary examples for a grandparent
Grandchildren often write these, and they can be the most specific of all, because grandparents keep rituals: the candy dish, the card game, the line in every birthday card. In large families, give the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren instead of every name.
Dorothy Jenkins, 94, of Lexington, Kentucky, died on Thursday, January 22, a month short of her 95th birthday.
Raised in a farmhouse without electricity, Dorothy lived to video-call her great-grandchildren every Sunday, holding the tablet a little too close to her face. She kept the books for a feed store for 41 years and balanced her own checkbook to the penny until last spring.
Her grandchildren knew her for the tin of butterscotch on the side table, the five-dollar bill folded into every birthday card, and her advice for any heartbreak: "Put on a clean blouse and go to town."
She is survived by her son, Wayne (Debbie) Jenkins; her daughter, Carol Simmons; eight grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by Earl, her husband of 61 years, and by her son, Larry.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, January 27, at Mount Olive Baptist Church, with burial beside Earl in the family cemetery.
Giuseppe "Joe" Ferrante, 90, of Pittsburgh, died on Monday, September 7.
Nonno came from Calabria in 1956 and laid brick across Pittsburgh for 40 years. There are church steps he could still point to from the car. He grew figs in a backyard where figs had no business growing, wrapping the trees in burlap every November. He taught all 11 of us to play bocce and to lose without sulking, which only some of us learned.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rosa; his children, Frank, Maria (Tom) Kelly and Paul; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 12, at St. Anthony Church. Memorial gifts may go to the parish food pantry, where he volunteered every Thursday.
How to write your own
Every example above came from the same short list of facts and two or three true details. Start with the facts.
- Find out where it will run
Ask the newspaper or the funeral home for the word limit, the deadline and the rate. Papers charge by the line, the word or the column inch, and a photo often costs extra. Many funeral homes submit the notice to the paper for you, and their own websites rarely set a limit.
- Write the first sentence
Name, age, town and date of death. Add "after a long illness", "unexpectedly" or "at home" only if the family wants it said.
- Choose two or three details
Test each sentence: if it could appear in anyone's obituary, replace it with evidence. "She adored her grandchildren" becomes the five-dollar bill in every birthday card.
- List the family in order
Spouse, children (with their spouses in parentheses), grandchildren and great-grandchildren, surviving parents and siblings, then those who died before. Agree as a family on stepchildren, former spouses and partners before anything is printed.
- Read it aloud, then have it checked
Ask two people to check every name, date, time and address. A misspelled name is the mistake people remember.
Write the long version first. Cutting a short notice from it is quick work, while stretching a short one into a life story never quite works. For the full walkthrough, see how to write an obituary, or start from the obituary template. If you are also speaking at the service, these eulogy examples show how the same material works out loud.
Wording that works
Obituaries lean on a small set of stock phrases, and they are stock for a reason: readers recognize them and find what they need. Newspaper reporters follow AP style, which uses "died" rather than "passed away." A paid notice written by the family can use either. Pick one set and keep it consistent, the way an editor would with a style guide.
| To say | Plain | Softer or traditional |
|---|---|---|
| To sayThe death | Plaindied | Softer or traditionalpassed away; died peacefully; entered into rest |
| To sayThe survivors | Plainis survived by | Softer or traditionalleaves behind; will be deeply missed by |
| To sayThose who died first | Plainwas preceded in death by | Softer or traditionalwas predeceased by; is reunited with |
| To sayA private service | Plainservices will be private | Softer or traditionalthe family will gather privately |
| To sayDonations | Plainmemorial gifts may be made to | Softer or traditionalin lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts go to |
What to leave out
Leave out anything the person would not have wanted printed, and anything that settles a family argument in public. Leave out the cause of death if the family is not ready to share it. And leave out the details identity thieves look for.
The examples follow most of this. None gives a birth date or a mother's maiden name, and the obituary for a mother names her parents by first name only. Weigh the rest yourself: a middle name is what tells one John Smith from another, which is why many families keep it.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an obituary be?
Most printed obituaries run 150 to 400 words, and a bare death notice can be 50. Online obituaries on a funeral home's website are often longer, since space there costs nothing. Check the newspaper's limit and rate before you write, then write the long version first and cut the short one from it.
Do I have to include the cause of death?
No. Many families write "after a long illness", "unexpectedly" or nothing at all. Some name the illness to raise awareness and suggest donations to a related charity. It is the family's choice, and either is normal.
What is the difference between an obituary and a death notice?
Traditionally, a death notice is a short paid announcement of the death and the services, and an obituary is a life story written by the newspaper's staff. Today most obituaries are written by families and placed as paid notices, and online the two terms are used almost interchangeably.
Can an obituary be funny?
Yes, if the humor sounds like the person and the family agrees. Draw it from their habits and sayings, not from the death or from anyone still living, and keep the survivors and service details plain so readers can find them.
How is an obituary different from a eulogy?
An obituary is written to be read, often by people who barely knew the person, and carries the facts and service details. A eulogy is spoken at the service to people who knew them, runs longer and can be far more personal.
